Automatic stop mechanism for knitting-machines.



C. R. OSTROIVI, Sn.

AUTOMATIC STO? NIECHANISIVI FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

3 SHEET-SMIEET l- WIT/I/ESSES [NVE/VMI?- C. R. OSTROYW, Sn. AUTOMATIC STOP MECHAMSNH FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Prucmmm mm MMA. um.

" Mmm/ed ]Bb 26,1918..

a shams-mamar 2.

C. R. OSIROIIII, Sn.

y AUTOMATIC STOP II/IECHAIIIISWI FOR KNITTING MACHINES. L'KIM.

APPLICATION FILED AUGII, 1917 ll'ilI/ENTOR /I TTORII/E IS WIr/115885.51

, lllhlll@ Saltil@ Alli CHARLES RANDALL' OSTROM,

sn., or PORTSMOUTH, onto.

AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FR KNIT'IING-MACHINES.

Application filed August Il, 1917.

To all whom it may concern.'

.Be it known that I, CHARLEs R. Os'rRoM, Sr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portsmouth2 in the county of Scioto and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Au-V tomatic Stop Mechanism for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to automatic stop motions especially adaptable to the stationary head or revolving type of needle knitting machines, which may, however, be readily adapted to almost any make or type of circular latch needle knitting machilies now in use, my object being the pro* vision of a stop mechanism which in its action depends wholly upon the knitting machine itself without dependence upon eX- terna] parts or apparatus.

In providing a mechanism of this character it is of course the object to prevent dam age to cloth and breakage of needles when the yarn breaks in machines of this type, the guides plug, or bunches of waste run in, if the yarn bunches or runs out at any feed point, which very often occurs and causes the cloth to drop from the needles and the yarn at the other feeds loads up and breaks a great many needles before the machine can be stopped. y

l'n this way, without the use of an automatic stopmechanism, it is necessary for -very close and careful attention to be paid to the machine if injury is to be avoided, and the provision of a stop mechanism capable of practical and efHcient operation thus makes it possible for an operator to care for from one-third to one-half again the number of machines usually cared for, and at the same time provides 'for an increase in the output of each machine with a resultant cut in the waste of material and breakage of needles.

A further and more specific object of my invention is to provide a practical and eiiicient stop mechanism which will obviate or avoid the use of plungers and other mechanical parts likely to clog with lint and become inoperative in this manner.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a stop mechanism by which the machine may be stopped within a small proportion of a complete revolution, and in which the belt shipper and brake lever may be brought into action from any feed point Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 184,413.

on the machine at any time during its opera` tion.

ln the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention:

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a circular latch knitting machine provided with my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of certain parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4. is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the lever engaging member of the actuating ring, taken substantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the supporting bracket;

Fig. 7 is a view partly in elevation and partly broken away and in section of certain parts of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 8 8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view taken substantially on line 9 9 of Fig. 7.

Referring now to these figures, the type of knitting machine shown, to which my invention is particularly adaptable, has a stationary cam or bed plate 10 and a cam cylinder 11,' with spaced yarn feeds l2 around the latten, the machine being driven by connections from a shaft 13, shown in Fig. `7, having fast and'loose pulleys 14 and respectively, to which the drive belt 16 leads. lll`he machine is also provided with a belt shipper 17 extending from and actuated by a pin l5 forming the fulcrum of an automatic and manually shiftable lever 19, controlled by a spring 20 which normally tends to hold the inner end upwardly in the position shown in Fig. 7, with the belt 1G upon the loose pulley l5.

When the outer end of the lever k19 is manually raised, however, its inner end is lowered against the tension of spring 2O and is, in practice, held by the lower end 21 of the upright arm 22 of a bell crank lever fulcrumed at 23 and having a horizontally projecting arm 24, the latter of which is controlled by a spring 25 and is provided with a laterally projecting handle 26.

The outer end of the spring 25 is secured to the cam or bed plate 10, `as seen in Fig. 3, and normally holds the bell crank lever referred to with its upright arm 22 in vertical position, and with the lower end of ratenteu reu. ae, taie..

the latter disposed upon the inner end of the lever 19,.in order to hold the shipperV 17 and and which operates to drawthe brake lever 2T downwardly into close contact and engagement with the shaft 13. Normally,

with the machine in operation, the brake lever 27 is held in upper inoperative position upon a lugk 31, against the tension of 4 spring 29, said'lug projecting laterally from vao ldrical Vcam block 11.

a block 32 pivoted at one end at 33 and having a headed stem 34 at its opposite end.

Vllith the above described parts in operative position and the brake lever 27 in inoperative position, my improvements are ready for action, Vand to this endmy invention includes an upright bracket 35 secured by fastening members 36, as seen in Fig. 4 in particular, to the cylindrical cam block 11 adjacent each feed point, as seen by reference to Fig, 1, each bracket 35 having upper oiset bearing portions 37 tlirougn which is j'ournaled a rock shaft 38 having a hand wheel 39 at its outer end by which it may be set in operative positiomand having a bent fabric engaging member 40 mounted through its opposite end and secured by a nutv 41,'the rock shaft 38 having an actuating block 42 secured thereon' between the'bearing portions 37 ofthe bracket 36 and mounted at one side of its lower end to permit of rocking movement of the shaft 38 in" one direction only, this structure being plainlyl seen in Fig. 3; Vertically'alongside of the bracket 36 adjacent its intermediate laterally projecting ear 43, is a rod 44, said rod being fulerumed at a substantially centralpoint to the ear 43' of the bracket 36, with its upper end at one side of the actuating block 42 and with its lower end 45 terminating slightly above the'camor bed platel() adjacent the cylin- Around the cylindrical cam block 11 is a' ring 46 having a series of rod engaging blocks 47,'thereon, one of'which blocks is normally alined beneath each of the brackets 36, and thus positioned at one side of the lower end of the respective actuating rod 44, as,V particularly seen in Fig.Y l.

At' one point thereof the ring 46 yis also provided with an adjustably secured actuating. block 48V disposed, as seen particularly inj rig. 2,a at one side of a lever 49 fulcrumed intermediately of its ends at 50 upon asupporting plate 51 secured upon the cam or bed` plate 10, and projecting outwardly beyond the same with a depending vertical portion 52 outwardly beyond the camor bed plate, as seen in Fig. l.

The outer end of the lever 49 engages one side of a latch member 53, the hook 54 of which normally engages the upper free end of a latch arm 55. ll`he latch member 53 is engaged .and normally held in operative vertical position by a spring 56 anchored upon the portion 52 of the plate 51 before described, so as to maintain the engagement between the same and the arm 55, which latter is pivoted at its lower end upon the portion 52 of the plate 51, and has a connecting member 57 projecting through an arcuate slot 58 in the plate portion 52.

Pivoted at one end at 59 upon the inner surface of the depending portion 52 of the supporting plate 51, is a hammer 60 with which the arm 55 is joined by its connecting member 57, said hammer being thus normally held in the upper inoperative position by virtue of the engagement of the latch member 53 with the arm 55, against the tension of a spring 61 the function of which is to force the hammer downwardly when the latch member 53 is released.

The headed stem 34 of the brake controlling member 32 is disposed partially in they path of downward movement of the free end or head of the hammer 60, so that in downward movements of the latter the head of the stem 34 is engaged and the member 32 shifted laterally to withdraw its lng 3l from beneath the brake lever 27, the continued downward movement of the hammer causing engagement between the pin G2 adjust-- ably held by a fastening member 63 through the head of the hammer and tl e free end of the arm 24 of the bell crank levei above referred to, to force the latter downward to release the belt shipping lever 19.

The parts are shown in released position in F ig. 3, with the latch member rocked by virtue of annular shifting movement of the ring 36, so as to free the hammer carried vlatch arm 55 and consequently the hammer itself.

1t is thus obvious that the mechanism utilized to the desired end by my invention is capable of practical and efiicient operation, and avoids the use of all parts such as plungers and like members likely to become clogged by bits of yarn or other matter, of which there is generally an abundance `around and adjacent machines of the present character.

It is also to be observed that the mechanism 1 employ tends to produce quick positive action of the several parts, stopping the machine quickly and positively, and that in addition to these advantages my particular mechanism enjoys a further and decided advantage'in its adaptability to machines now in use. My invention is further capable of adaptation to various makes and types of knitting machines Without material change in the machine itself, and With minimum labor necessitated by its utilization. v

I claim:

l. An attachment of the present character for knitting machines, comprising a vertically movable hammer` pivotally supported at one end, and provided With a latch arm, a spring engaging the hammer for moving the same in operation, a latch member engaging the latch arm to normally hold the hammer in inactive position, a spring engaging the said. latch member, .a lever engaging the latch member at one end and fnlycrumed intermediate its ends, an actuating ring around a portion of the machine, having a block engaging the opposite end of the lever and provided With a second block, an upright bracket, a rod disposed in upright position adjacent and intermediately pivoted upon the bracket, With its lovver end in engagement with the second block of the ring, a rock shaft mounted in the upper end of said bracket, and having a fabric' engaging member at one end, and an actuating block secured upon the said rock shaft and engaging the upper end of the said rod.

2. An attachment of the present character for knitting machines, comprising a vertically movable hammer pivotally supported at one end and provided With a latch arm, a spring engaging the hammer for moving the same in operation, a latch member engaging the latch arm to normally hold the hammer in inactive position, a spring engaging the said latch member, a lever engaging the latch member at one end and fulcrumed intermediate its ends, a supporting plate upon Which the hammer, its latch controlling members, and the latch releasing lever are mounted, said plate being se- Vof the said lever, and further provided With blocks secured thereon adjacent the several yarn feeds of the machine, and fabric en- ,gagmg means ad]acent each of the yarn feeds of the machine for shifting the ring annularly, including rods engagingthe last named blocks of the ring.

3. The combination With a knitting machine having a belt shipper and a brake lever and members normally holding the same in inactive position, of a spring actuated latch controlled hammer in the path of operative movement in which said members are disposed, latch releasing means consisting of a lever, a ring disposed aroundthe cylinder cam block of the machine above its bed plate, and having an actuating block engaging said lever and other blocks mounted thereon at spaced points therearoundv adjacent the yarn feeds of the machine, and fabric engaging means adjacent each of the yarn feeds, each including a horizontally disposed rock shaft having a fabric engaging member at one end and provided With an actuating block shiftable therewith, and a vertically disposed and intermediately pivoted actuating rod, the upper end of Which is engaged by the block of the rock shaft and the lower end of which is in engagement with one of the last mentioned blocks of the actuating ring.

CHARLES RANDALL OSTROM, SR. Witnesses: l

C. E. DOWLING, l). D. MITCHELL.

@omer et this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

' Washington, JD. E. 

